IndependentBaseball.net

I just wanted to let the fans of this website know a few things:

• Thank you for supporting this site with your links, referring it to other baseball fans, and for your comments.  They are all appreciated!
• I have been asked to update everything as much as possible; and this will be done in the off-season.  For example, managers come/go during the off-season, so the managers information will link directly to the teams’ websites as appropriate
• I will do what I can to give you the most accurate list of Twitter and Facebook team & league pages as possible.  The teams which folded after the 2010 season (or soon to be folded teams) will be removed; and the new teams will have their websites, ticket pages, Facebook/Twitter, online radio/TV, and other such pages updated ASAP
• Once the new teams are updated, I will do what I can to link directly to the official statistics pages for each team/league.  Whether I link directly to Pointstreak’s page, or the team’s page which may embed the Pointstreak data (assuming that they are using Poinstreak for 2011) will be tested on an ease-of-upload basis for the average web user

During the off-season, please help by keeping me up to date of any changes you know to a particular team or league’s online radio/TV presence, new fan forums, new Facebook pages, etc.  I want this site to be your starting point for everything related to professional independent minor league baseball, and your help in keeping it current will be appreciated tremendously.  You are also welcome to request topics for interviews, Q&A with commissioners, and other information which will enhance the experience for current fans as well as any other topics which you believe would attract more casual baseball fans’ interest to the independent game.
Thank you, and enjoy the end of the 2010 season!

Matt

P.S.  Should you be a part of any forums, social networks, e-mail lists, sports journalists (traditional media or online), and any other place where baseball fans convene then please help spread the word about this site.  They are invited to participate in the conversation as well.

Resources for those involved with baseball at any level:

If you, or someone you know, is a youth baseball parent and frustrated with the experience then click here: Youth Baseball Parents

If you, or someone you, want guidance from actual independent minor league baseball executives on how to succeed in the independent minor leagues then click here: Independent Baseball Advice Interviews

If you simply want to find out about independent minor league baseball tryouts then click here: Independent Minor League Baseball Tryouts Notification List

If you, or someone you care about, want to improve the mental game of baseball then click here: Improving Your Baseball Mental Game

If you, or someone you know, need to improve your 60 yard dash time then click here: Click Here

Click this link if you, or someone you know, need baseball equipment which occasionally is on sale and/or offers free shipping (check the site for any such incentives):

This is a complementary article to the ESPN article posted on this site two days ago.  Jim Caple added more coverage of the Golden League to his column:

• http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/100818_golden_baseball_league&sportCat=mlb

Resources for those involved with baseball at any level:

If you, or someone you know, is a youth baseball parent and frustrated with the experience then click here: Youth Baseball Parents

If you, or someone you, want guidance from actual independent minor league baseball executives on how to succeed in the independent minor leagues then click here: Independent Baseball Advice Interviews

If you simply want to find out about independent minor league baseball tryouts then click here: Independent Minor League Baseball Tryouts Notification List

If you, or someone you care about, want to improve the mental game of baseball then click here: Improving Your Baseball Mental Game

If you, or someone you know, need to improve your 60 yard dash time then click here: Click Here

Click this link if you, or someone you know, need baseball equipment which occasionally is on sale and/or offers free shipping (check the site for any such incentives):

Tomorrow night, the city of Ramapo (NY) will have a cable TV show featuring Miles Wolff, the commissioner of the Can-Am League.  The show will focus on the feasibility of a new independent minor league baseball stadium being constructed in Ramapo in order to bring a Can-Am League team to the city.  There has been a good degree of news coming out of Ramapo as to the ownership group, local opposition, and financial feasibility claims.
Here is the article:

• http://m.lohud.com/news.jsp?key=380437&rc=blg

We at IndependentBaseball.net wish you a happy Independence Day Weekend.

Within the independent baseball industry, there is an occasional joking remark made about the “Declaration of Independents”, referring to the teams and leagues in the industry.  We thought it would be proper that today should highlight the text of the actual Declaration Of Independence, so you are welcome to find out more here:

• http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/freedom/doi/text.html

Here is a fun trivia question about 1995, the season with the most number of independent baseball leagues.

• Q: How many independent leagues existed in 1995?
• A: 11 — Northern League, Frontier League, Atlantic Coast League, Golden State League, Mid-America League, North Atlantic League, North Central League, Northeast League, Prairie League, Texas-Louisiana League, Western League

Some of the leagues folded during or right after the 1995 season, but it shows how popular the “fad” had become in just 2 seasons.  In 1993 there were 2 independent leagues, the Northern League and Frontier League.

The Saint Paul Saints (American Association) independent baseball team is hosting an interesting promotion.  Playing off of a cancellation by the band U2, the Saints are adding some interesting elements to a June 27 afternoon game.

• http://ballparkbiz.wordpress.com/2010/06/09/i-o-u2-saints-offer-alternative-for-u2-fans-on-june-27/

Feel free to leave your comments on whether you like these types of promotions.  Some teams seem to do well with them, and other teams experience that their fan bases just “don’t get it” when it comes to the promotion.  Your insights are welcome.

Here is information about the home opening game for the Na Koa Ikaika Maui independent minor league baseball team which plays in the Golden League.  It was the first pro baseball game in Hawaii since 1997:

• http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/532300.html

The team beat the Tijuana Cimmarones 9-3.

There is a news report in Yuma, AZ that the Yuma Scorpions (Golden League) may be moving the rest of their home games to Mexicali, Mexico:

• http://www.kswt.com/Global/story.asp?S=12604466

If so, this would be the second team in Mexico as the Tijuana Cimmarones are part of the Golden League as well.

Feel free to leave your opinions of this subject, and please cite confirming evidence for any claims.  Thank you.

Check out this wild story from the Oakland County team in the Frontier League:

• http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/05/the-independent-leagues-are-tough-brother.html.php
• http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2010/05/26/news/cops_and_courts/doc4bfdcee29e814688933566.txt

Welcome to the wacky world of independent baseball.  IndependentBaseall.net has no specifics on this story other than what is in the news items listed above; but it is amazing that this stuff still happens in the industry in 2010.

Hopefully it gets resolved so that the team’s caliber of play, and what the product on the field (especially since the team is on the road most of the year) does not get hindered by these sorts of actions.

Here is a unique article about the possibility of three pro baseball teams in the Houston, Texas area:

• http://houstonist.com/2010/03/13/what_if_houston_had_three_baseball.php

If you are familiar with the situation in Houston then you are welcome to leave a comment.